Sewing machine thread lubricating device



' May 3, 1932..

...IIIIHIW' W. MYERS SEWING MACHINE THREAD` LUBRICATI'NG AmvIcu-J Fileduay 5,51930 i Patented May 3, #1,932

' ling the quantity Isra,y

war-,run ternes, ortismnem'onr, CONNECTICUT, assIGNoa ro rm: sINGnB. IANU- rac'rUnrNG' coxanr, or nmzanErmNEw meer, n oonronarroN or New p Y JERSEY This invention relates improvements in thread lubricating and: moisteningj devices object to provide means for properly controlof lubricant'applied to the Sewing threads; Y l f' A further object ervoir which is sofdesignedas to obviate vspilling of the lubricant supply mimi-idas' tilted positionsof. the reservoir. e'

of illustrated in in which:

Fig. 1 is a lView' in side elevation of end portion of asewingmachinebracket-arm,,il

with the present improved threadflibricat end elevation of the sewingniachine bracket-l l arm. Fig. 3 representsin perspective view, partly in section, the component parte of the` threadlubricatingi device 1 [Fig: :4fis a permodifiedspective Vview partlyinsection yof thread-Iubriciitin 'pad-holder.

Referring te. t e drawings, a sewin 'i .f mae," chine in :connection with which a pre erred embodiment 'of the-lthread-lubricalitir1g.device being swung sidev'vi'se foriready access tothe medianism withinsaidbracket-armhead. A Common form 'of faceplatejsecuring means comprises a screw 3 passing through an aperL ture. near the upper end ofthe face-plate and threaded into the bracket-arm head, the lower portion of the face-plate being apertured to' receive a locating-"pin eprojectingfrom the; bracket-arm head. By slightly loosening the screw 3, the face-plate may be withdrawn from the locating-pin 4 and swung about the 59 screw 3, which may then be tightened to tem- 'iPOm-IY etei thf i Out position. Y v. for sewing machines and has fer its primary of thisinventionvv istoprofj vide a vsewing machine th'rui'fd-lubri'catingi v device associated with alubricantsupplyfresaslot 9111V the front side of the head1 11?". Lead- -ing-'from the take-up eye vv'?,' -"'thej thread Y, f passedunderalguide-wire liluponf'the-head1,"` The foregoing and other objects and. adj vantages in View, together, `with-means where# by the same may becarried intoeifect, will`l best be understood .fromthefollowin Ide-` sc-ription` of `a prefenedexnbodment. iferthe accomp'anying.dx'lawingrs',w

1 where it" maybe moisten thread.'`

ceptacle having substantially parallel closure I .theplane of the base-wall 16. Passed through f i SEWING zAcHIN Timun I .UnnrcarINe DEVICE v Taeg-fi c In' the present led from its supplythrough a suitable ide 5 `to a combine tension and slack-three con- 515i.

ti'oller device 6, disposed ,at the frontside of thebracket-arm head 1. "From the. device 6,'

the thread is passed through a' threadfieye 7 inl i; a take-up armf8, proj ecting forwardly through "f. 60

.constructed substantially-in accordance with the'disclf'nsurey inthe U. S. patenito"W, Dial 'et al., No; 695,915, Mar.; 25,1902,'deriveV `-ing" its operative'movements ,from the maire shaft 13 in the usual manner.v f I tis'to be uns'. 70 fderstood,'however, that the present inventionf s sffin nowise limited toany Specificitll'lidt guiding devices lor take-up "mechanism and fz that itmaybe' ern loyed 1n any'oonnection I esirable `t(ijflubricate` or Ifw The, present improved threaddiibricatinIg 5` device, in its preferred embodiment, includes 'cylindrical casing 14, which'is prefel'ar'fm integral with a front vwall 15 ands or otherwise suitably securdu on abasefff: wall 1'6, .thereby forming ja', cy drical; re-f 'walls constituted by the iiatlw'allsj and 16. 8e Projecting from the base-wall 16 1s a bossed 'supporting-armi? provided with-an'- apenv ture 18 in a direction substantially normal to said aperture 18 is a stud-screwilawhlich is 9d threaded into the face-plateQ andconstitutes' a pivotal support upon-which-fthe reservoir may vbe swung 1n a planeparallel with the l vtace-plate. Preferably a friction washer 20 is interposed .between the 'head 'ofthe'fstud- 95 screw 19 and the supportingarmlO-qrjf tain the reservoirin any osition intfiwhich it may be swung.' One o the-'objetfof the.' pivotal support for the reservoir-Astoro- 1 vide for access to certain typeso voep ate 3G through the tubular-arm 25 and, of course,

` securing A upon the casing so that the tube' aperture 23 constitutes a continuation of an aperture 24 provided in the casing. Frictionally disposed within 'the supporting tube 22 is a tubular arm 25.i nserted into said tube 22 through Y the casing-aperture24 so as to terminate within the reservoir substantially centrally of the circular casingxthe aperture`21 inthe front wall of the casing being larger than thediameter of the tubular arm 24 so that the free end of said arm is disposed above the-lowest portion of said`aperture 2l and therefore above any lubricant in the reservoir in any'position into which the reservoirl j may be swung about its pivot-screw 19 or into which the face-plate 2 may be swung about the screw 3. This'construction obviates inadvertent spilling of the lubricant supply also through the reservoir aperture 21 be cause of its central location in the front wall thereof whereby the upper level L (shown in 'dotted-lines in Figs. 1 and 2), of the lubricant is necessarily always below the filling aperture 21. 'v

Adjacent the reservoir, the tubular arm 25y is bent substantially at right angles to extend '.acrossthe'front of-the bracket-arm head and terminates in a pad-holder. In onev embodiment, said pad-holder has a cylindrical wall the wick-boil, is a 26 constituting a ilange projecting forwardly from a circular base 277 the wall 26 being provided with diametrically opposite threadclearance notches, as 28. Coiled against the j base of the pad-holder within the cylindricalwall 26 thereof is a lubricant-conductingwick29 which extends through the tubular arm 25 and into the lubricant supply in the reservoir. i j

rPlaced in the pad-holder, in contact with disk-pad 30 which 'may be l offelt or Yother suitable absorbent. material,

said disk-pad being retained in its holder by a finger 31 extending across the. open face 'of` a. split-ring 32 j the, disk' ad and carried by frictional y clamped upon the cylindrical wall 26 of the pad-holder. The split-ring 32 has thread-clearance notches, as 33, corre-v spondingwith the notches 28 in the padholder. vThe thread T leading from the takeup to the needle, may be passed laterally under the free end of the finger 31 and is thereby held in contact with the diskpad 3 0,

Vbe self-evident. Likewise a wornout pad Lacasse whichbyaprocess of absorption becomes artially saturated with lubricant conducte by the wick 29 from the supply within the reservoir. The degree of saturation of the disk-pad and therefore the quantity of lubricant supplied to the thread T may be adjustably determined by raising and lowering the pad-holder relatively to the upper level L of the lubricant in the reservoir so as to change the component/of gravity in the capillary action arising inthe conducting of the lubricant to the disk-pad. The adjustment' 'may be obtained by swinging the pad-holder about its pivotal support afforded b the frictional engagement between the tuge 22 and the tubular arm 25, Fig. 1 of the drawings illustrating in dotted lines two different positions into which the pad-holder may be swung. It will be noted that in one of its dottedline positions the acl-holder is entirely above and in the ot er entirely below the upper level of the lubribant supply. The degree of thread lubrication may also e varied bychanging the ressure of the thread upon4 the disk-pad. hismay be in part effecte'd by the described swinging movements 'nsA of the pad-holder whereby the angle of the thread is changed. It may also e accomplished by adjusting the finger-carrying rin `32 and, or the pad 30 widthwise of the pa holder wall 26 and still furtherby repositioning the reservoir about its pivotal support. Consequently a rather delicate control ofthe quantity of lubricant supplied to the thread is available in the present construction and this feature is of Aconsiderableimportance in the stitching of certain articles which are easily soiled by too free lubrication of the thread, but which nevertheless require lubricant adequate for successful stitching vIn the' modification illustrated'in ig.'4 of the drawings, the tubular arm 25 terminates in a U-shaped hplder 34' for a rectangular pad 35 held gripped-between the spaced members of the holder by the inwardly di-l rected, free ends,`as 36, of'said members. This type of pad-holder may be made very narrow to limit the length of thread in engagement with the pad carriedby the holder.

In either of the forms of pad-holders here- `in described, the padmay. be readily repositioned in its holdery to present unworn portions thereof in the path of the threa'd, as will may` be readily'replaced by anew pad.

I Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, whatI claim hereinis f 1. A sewingA machine thread-lubricating device, comprising apad of absorbent material disposed in the path' of the sewing thread, a.l pad-holding receptacle, supporting means forsaid receptacle, a thread-guiding finger extending crosswiseef the thread-engaging face of said pad, and a carrier for said j finger removably supported by said receptac e.

2. A sewing machine thread-lubricating device, comprlsing a pad of absorbent material disposed in the path of the sewing thread, a cylindrical pad-holding receptacle, supporting means for said receptacle, a thread-guiding finger extending crosswlse of the thread-engaging face of said pad, and a split-ring carrier for said finger detachably supported by said receptacle.

A sewin machine thread-lubricating device, comprlsing a lubricant reservoir, a tubular arm having its bore communicating with the interior of said reservoir, a lubricantabsorbent material carried by said arm in the path of the sewing thread, means for supporting said arm for adjustment of said absorbent material directionally in and crosswise of the path of the sewin thread, and means whereby lubricant may e conducted from said reservoir to said absorbent material.

4. A sewing machine thread-lubricating device, comprising a lubricant-absorbent material disposed in the path of the sewing thread, a lubricant-supply reservoir, a holder for said absorbent material pivotally supported by said reservoir, and means for pivotally supporting said reservoir for swinging movements about an axis substantially transverse to the pivotal-axis of said absorbent-material holder.

5. A thread-lubricating device for sewing machines comprisin a lubricant-supply reservoir provided witg an aperture in the side wall thereof, a tube projecting into said reservoir from a wall thereof to terminate above the lower portion of said wall-aperture, and means whereby lubricant may be conducted through the bore of said tube from a supply within the reservoir to the sewing thread of the machine.

6. A thread-lubricating device for sewing machines comprising a lubricant-supply reservoir provided with an aperture in the side wall thereof, a tube projecting into said reservoir from a wall thereof, a tubular-arm seated in said tube having an end thereof terminating `"above the lower portion of said wall-aperture, said tubular arm extending through the reservoir wall carrying said tube, and means whereby lubricant may be conducted through the bore of said tubular arm from a supply within the reservoir to the sewin thread of the machine.

A thread-lubricating device for sewing machines including a lubricant-supply reservoir having a cylindrical casing and substantially flat side walls, one of said side walls being provided substantially centrally thereof with an aperture, a tubular arm extending into the reservoir through the cylindrical casing thereof to terminate above the lower portion of said side-wall aperture, a threadlubricating pad carried by said tubular arm in the path of the sewin thread, and a wick extendlng from within t e reservoir through the bore of said tubular arm to the threadlubricating pad.

8. A thread-lubricating device for sewing i machines comprising a lubricant-supply reservoir having a lubricant outlet, a pivotal support for said reservoir, the lubricant outlet of the reservoir being disposed constantly above the upper level of the largest possible lubricant supply within said reservoir in any position of the reservoir into which it may be swung about its pivotal support, and a Wick passing through said reservoir outlet for conducting lubricant to the sewing thread of the sewing machine.

9. In a sewing machine having a frame including a bracket-arm, a face-plate detachably secured upon the free end of said arm, a needle-bar journaled for endwise reciprocation in said bracket-arm, means for directing a sewin thread to a needle carried by said needlear, a lubricant-supply reservoir pivotallysupported by said face-plate havlng a lubricant outlet disposed constantly above the upper level of the largest possible lubricant supply within said reservoir in any position of the reservoir into which it may be swung about its ivotal support an absorbent-material pad) disposed 1n the4 path of the sewing thread supplied to the needle, and means whereby lubricant may be conducted through said reservoir outlet to said absorbent-material ad.

10. A thread-lubricating device for a sewing machine having a reciprocatory needle and guiding means for directing a thread to said needle, comprising a holder, an absorbent material carrled b of the sewing threa leading to the needle, a lubricant reservoir, means for conducting lubricant from said reservoir to the absorbent material in said holder, and pivotal su porting means for the absorbent material liolder providing for shifting' said holder vertically above the lubricant supply in said reservoir and in the general direction of lead of the sewin thread to the needle, whereby the quantity of lubricant supplied to said absorbent material may be adj ustably determined.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

WALTER MYERS.

said holder in the path 4 

